How much confidence do you have in Jalen Tolbert right now?
Jalen Tolbert’s fourth season was shaping up to be his best yet. The Cowboys wide receiver entered training camp as the presumed frontrunner for the third spot on the depth chart. But while other contenders’ names have been prevalent in early reports out of Oxnard, Tolbert’s has been hard to find. Should we be concerned, and what could this mean for the eventual shaping of Dallas’ WR position?
Last year, Tolbert quietly became the number-two receiver over Brandin Cooks. He led all Cowboys, runners and receivers, in touchdowns with seven. He was second behind CeeDee Lamb in receiving yards and only behind Lamb and TE Jake Ferguson in targets and receptions. With most of his best work coming before Dak Prescott’s injury, many have been optimistic about his 2025 prospects.
Even if Dallas’ front office was high on Tolbert, it wasn’t enough to stop them from trading for George Pickens. While that put an obvious end to Tolbert’s bid for a starting job, he remained the top option for the third spot. But after roughly two weeks of camp, it’s been other receivers like Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin, and even UDFA Traeshon Holden who’ve had their work highlighted far more than Tolbert’s.
Of course, the training camp plays that make it into the media stratosphere are based on several factors. A receiver can be wide open on a play and missed by the QB, or run a perfect route only for the ball to be poorly thrown. Coaches see those things that we don’t, and they go into the decision-making process as much as the big plays.
Still, fans of Tolbert should be concerned that he hasn’t been as noisy as fellow WR prospects. On the final year of his rookie contract, and thanks to some performance escalators, Tolbert is set to count $3.6 million against the 2025 salary cap. Dallas can save nearly all of that, $3.4 million, if he doesn’t make the team. That’s a decent chunk to put into their cap rollover for next season, which we know that the Jones boys love.
If Tolbert was the clear choice for WR3, paying that money wouldn’t be a second thought. But if they feel like Mingo and Turpin are just as deserving, and especially if they pass Tolbert on the depth chart, that could put Tolbert in very dangerous territory. At that point, younger prospects like Holden and Ryan Flournoy become more attractive both for lower costs and higher upside.
With all of August still to go, there’s plenty of time for Jalen Tolbert to defend his turf as Dallas’ number-three receiver. But if the early signs from Oxnard are meaningful, they have him losing ground to other contenders. Given the insecurity of his contract and already being 26 years old, Tolbert could go from a frontrunner to the roster bubble without a strong finish to the summer.